Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I really don't believe Will said that....especially that "make me cool" line. I think this is another case of "hating on Will Smith is cool" type of thing. They act like they were so reluctant to record with him. Give me a break...they made great music, they got paid, they became "friends" but they're acting like "yeah we never really wanted to do it, it was wack - still is, we're friends with Will but he still sucks...."

I think deep down inside they were afraid of losing "credibility" after working with more "street" artists.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Poke: “Homegirl from SWV didn’t even want to be in the video. She was like, ‘Will Smith? **** outta here.’ She sang the record but she was like I'm not doing this video. That was the worst mistake of her life.”

that was definitely one of the stupidest decisions coko ever made..if she was in the video it would have put her back on the map in 97!

I don't think this is insulting to FP. I think he is just being brutally honest in the interview. His way of conveying the story is the best but I feel that he's calling them and Coko out for their small minded approach to the track. SWV gave JJ+FP mad love when they did "I Wanna Rock" on the AMA's. I remember them groovin' to the performance so I can't imagine Coko being THAT against the idea of the song. Why would she even record it if she didn't like him?

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I find this sort of thing pretty hilarious. "What is Will Smith?" He was one of the pioneers who opened up the rap music genre and made it more presentable and accessible to a much larger audience... that it was poetry and story telling to a beat... it didn't have to be about killing cops, selling drugs, or living in the hood... he won the first ever Grammy for rap music for his trouble. He was and to this day is still the most successful rapper turned actor, and has opened up possibilities for countless other rappers, including Queen Latifah, LL and many others who later chose to focus on acting. These days, every rapper wants to act if they can, and there are no real barriers anymore because Will Smith showed that it could work, and work very, very well.

And I'm sorry, AJ, but it is insulting. I understand that they are recounting how they felt at the time and that their attitudes have changed, but their attitude at that time was not only myopic and insulting, but wholly ignorant and uninformed. They cite Summertime, which came out in '91, as his last hit prior to working with him on MIB in 96-97, but Will and Jeff weren't really recording much back then, considering FPoBA ran from '90 to '96 and Will had begun to invest more time in movies. However, they did have time time to drop a little album named Code Red. Are we saying that Code Red wasn't a great album and didn't have any hits? Are we saying that "Boom! Shake the Room" wasn't a hit? Are we saying that "I'm Looking for the One" wasn't a great track? Since when?

Lol @ Will Smith needing anyone to make him cool after his prior success in rap music with Jeff, FPoBA, Bad Boys and Independence Day.

Lol @ Big Willie Style going 9x Platinum and having 4 hits, but Will being concerned about looking cool.

Lol @ Coco making an insanely foolish decision.

Oh... and Lol @ watching the Patriots game and just seeing a Budweiser commercial 10 minutes ago with Summertime playing as the music track, proving that it is still one of the most iconic hip hop joints ever written.

I believe what they were saying was "What is Will Smith...to Hip-Hop in 1996?" Keep in mind he officially retired in 1995, Code Red only made a ripple in the Hip-Hop world three years prior. Certainly they know of JJ+FP's importance to Hip-Hop, but after he separated himself from music for so long "Will Smith" was strictly a movie and TV star. Sure Hip-Hop and JJ+FP took up the most of his career but really distanced himself from that. While "Will Smith" was relevant to acting, the name itself was not worth much in Hip-Hop due to his own choices.

I'm not disagreeing with there being a certain amount of ignorance to what is being said. After all, they are calling themselves out for the mind frame they were in and ended up working together extensively. It makes me wonder where their relationship stands now.

Ha! Very good point. I genuinely like most of their work though. When I think of late 90's Hip-Hop, they are probably my favorite production team. The fact that most of their less-inspired stuff got more shine on FP's first 2 albums was a little annoying, but overall I think they made great music. I wonder if they are still working together.